Ill Am I
by lostariel.merilwen01
Summary: He saved me. I don't know how, or when, but he saved me. And now it's my turn...
1. Prologue: Missing

**Hey guys! Here I am with a story that had been floating around in my head for a VERY long time, as in, before 'The Immortal Queen'. Yeah, I know, it's ancient. *cough* five months *cough***

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing but the plot and any OCs I choose to bring in. I also like to think that I sort of own Isabelle, seeing as I am creating all her attitudes and stuff as the last time she appeared on Alias she was like 6, and you don't really know what she is like. So, I sort of own her, but not technically, so I won't claim to. :)**

**ENJOY!**

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><p>"Isabelle!" someone hissed, and the young girl jerked her head off her desk hurriedly.<p>

"What?" she asked groggily in reply, and turned to see her friend, Rory, sitting behind her.

"Were you asleep?" Rory whispered to her friend, eyebrows raised.

Isabelle was about to reply to the question, but she caught a stern look from their teacher, Mrs Daniels, and decided to keep her mouth shut and try to do her work.

She tried to focus, but her eyes refused to remain open. She was so tired...so tired...

The next thing she knew, the bell was ringing and their English teacher was saying something about their homework, but it went way over poor Iz's head. She shut her book with a slam and smoothed her messed up hair before shoving her things into her bag and walking out of the room, glad to be free.

She soon ran into Rory, who was waiting for her to catch up, and they walked out the school gate together. The only lived a few streets away from one another, and so they often walked home together.

"So, were you actually asleep in there?" the redhead asked incredulously, and all Iz could do was nod in response. "How come? Seriously, Iz, you sleep so well every night, I have never seen you like this! Your parents are like, so strict! How come you're so tired?"

"The rents were at it again last night," came the simple reply.

"You parents are still fighting? Are you kidding me? Your parents are perfect for each other, why are they fighting?"

"Beats me," Isabelle shrugged, looking completely disinterested.

"Well, I have said this before, but I think it's just a phase, I mean seriously, your family is perfect! I would do _anything _have your parents, and your little brother is an angel compared to my sister..." Rory continued to go on and on, but Isabelle zoned out, used to her friend's chatter.

Her parents had their first argument in August. It was now September...

"Iz? Are you gettin' anything I'm saying?" Rory asked her, waving a hand in front of her face.

"What? Oh, yeah, good," she replied, looking into the distance, and Rory groaned.

"Isabelle, you can't keep being like this! Seriously, you have to wake up! You need to get more sleep. My Aunt used to have problems sleeping, and she went to see this guy, and he did this hypnotizing thing on her, like in the movies, you know, a "you will wake up when I click my fingers three times" kind of thing. Anyway, and it worked! I think you should try it out, and while we're there, we can get the guy to try reading our palms or something."

"'Cause I'm sure that'll be accurate," Isabelle commented sarcastically, but Rory didn't notice the undertone, but nodded enthusiastically.

"Exactly! He's totally legit," she insisted, and Iz gave a half smile.

"Totally."

"Well, I'll ask my Aunt about it, you never know. Oh, and I was wondering what you thought about this outfit for the party this Saturday night. I thought it up the other day, and I just thought I would ask you to see what you thought about it! Okay, are you ready for this?"

"Ready as I'll ever be..."

"Okay, so, i was thinking, you know that floral top I got, with the pink and orange flowers?" Without waiting for confirmation from her friend, she continued. "Well, I was thinking I could wear that with my wedge heels and my bubblegum blue jeans! _And _I was going to wear that bubblegum smelling spray that I got the other week, _and _I was gonna chew bubblegum too! Get it, bubblegum, bubblegum, and more bubblegum!" She grinned with joy at her friend, finally turning to look at her. "Well, what do you think?"

"I think you'll be good enough to eat. Well, chew." Though she was being sarcastic, her words made her friend's face light up with a grin from ear to ear, and she squealed, embracing her friend.

"Oh, I can't wait! Hey, how about I sleep over on Friday night and then help you pick out what you're gonna wear?"

Isabelle smiled, but winced inwardly, desperately hoping there would be a way to get out of going to the biggest party of the month looking, smelling and eating some sort of food. She loved her friend more than anything, but sometimes Rory got a little over eager. Just a little. "Actually, you know, I don't know if it's such a good idea for you to come over at the moment, what with Mom and Dad fighting all the time."

Rory's face went sad for a moment, but then lit up once more as she had an idea. "You can just bring all your stuff over to my place! And if we can't find anything in your closet, I have a green shirt you wold love, and I mean LOVE! It's not like a dark green, it's more like, like...a grape green. That's it! A grape kind of green." She squealed happily. "This is going ot be so fun! Oh, here's my place, I have to go, but I will ask Mom of it's okay for you to come over on Friday, and I'll see what she says, okay?"

"Okay," Isabelle smiled. "Say hi to the family for me."

"I will. See you tomorrow!" Rory turned and gave her friend a hug, before turning away and walking up the drive of her home. "If you can't come over this Friday night, I'll bring the grape green top to school for you!"

Isabelle sighed, but not loudly. "Thanks Rory. See you tomorrow!"

"Bye!"

Isabelle turned away, walking down the street and turning the corner, humming a tune to herself.

She looked at the ground, and kicked a stone along the path before kicking it into the garden of her house and walking inside. "Mom, Dad, I'm...home..." she trailed off as she saw the note on the fridge from her mother.

_Iz, _

_Gone shopping. Back 4:30, give or take. Feed fish and clean pool please._

_Mom._

Sighing, she picked up her bag from where she had dumped it on the floor, and moved it out of the walkway. She then grabbed an apple out of the fridge, and began to chew on it as she dumped some fish flakes at the top of the fish tank, and watched with a smile as the little fish darted from their hiding places and began to nibble at the fallen bits of food. _If only everything was as simple as the life of a fish..._she though to herself. _All they do is eat, sleep, poop and hide. I could deal with that._

Holding back a yawn, Isabelle walked outside and to the pool shed, grabbed the net and bucket and walked over to the pool. She began slowly dragging the net back and forth over the surface, gathering fallen leaves in the net as she did so. Her mother had decided it was an unnecessary expense to buy a pool cleaner that wouldn't last for very long anyway, and so, Isabelle was stuck cleaning it by hand. Sometimes Jack would help too, but he seemed to get away with a lot, him being the the youngest and all.

When she was finished, Isabelle picked up the bucket and headed over to the shed again, putting the net away. She then walked over to the bin and emptied the bucket's contents into it before washing it out with a hose and putting it back in the shed where it belonged.

She then walked inside to do some homework. She slid the back door open and picked her back pack up, putting it on the table. She sorted through the heavy books inside, and picked out her maths one, seeing as she actually knew what was set for homework for that subject. She had thought to write it down in the back of her book, and was glad she had done so.

She walked over to the lounge room and put her work out on the coffee table, then switched on the TV. Usually, she wasn't allowed to watch TV while doing her homework, but what her parents didn't know couldn't hurt them, right?

About 10 minutes into her work, she heard a thud coming from the kitchen. Frowning, she got up. "Mom? You there?" It was a little early for her mother to be home, and she hoped like anything she wasn't. Quickly grabbing her books, she shoved them in her bag and turned off the TV. "Mom?"

She walked into the kitchen, but saw nothing. She then walked into the front sitting room and peered through the blinds, but saw nothing. There was no car there.

Suddenly, something creaked behind her, and she spun around, ready to scream, but all she met was darkness.

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><p><strong>Well, there is the prologue of My Deliverer! Hopefully you will get to meet West in the next chapter! :) <strong>

**PLEASE leave a review to let me know what you think! If you have me on author alert, that's all well and good seeing as you'll know whenever I do anything to any of my stories, but I would really like to know what you think! I know I have heaps of stories going, but I really wanted to try this, and, well, West is one of my favorite characters, and in my other story with Isabelle, she starts of much older, and I wanted to have a look at a younger version of her and see how that went. **


	2. Awakening, for a little while

**Here is the first official chapter of 'My Deliverer'! Hope you are liking it so far! :)**

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing but the plot and any OCs I choose to bring in. Enjoy!**

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><p>Sydney Bristow, CIA, was in way over her head. Not because she had too much work. Not because she her tough job was finally getting to her, and, for once, not because some crazed lunatic wanted her dead.<p>

This was much more personal than that.

Her family was falling apart, and it felt as though there was nothing she could do to stop it. She and Michael could barely hold a conversation without arguing, and she longed for the days when they would sit together and talk about anything and everything. Now, if she tried to talk about the weather being nice, to Michael, it was either too hot or too cold. He would disregard her opinion on important subjects, and not so important subjects. He just didn't seem to care anymore.

But that wasn't all. Both her children were failing at their work at school, but she was more worried about Isabelle. She had received a call from her daughter's homeroom teacher the previous week, telling her that her own daughter had been failing at almost every subject, even gym. And all you had to do for gym was show up.

While her eldest child was pretty much giving up on anything that mattered, her son was loud, louder than he had ever been before. He would yell in reply to everything they said, and it frustrated her to no end. But there was no room for frustration. She had to keep going, and not let the anger of those around her overwhelm her. She was Sydney Bristow, for God's sake!

But sometimes, it didn't feel like it. She was supposed to be some great, legendary agent, who dominated all in the field and could do extraordinary things that no one else could do, but at the same time, there were many things that she couldn't do that everyone else could.

For instance, she couldn't talk to her daughter about anything, or her son for that matter. She couldn't bring herself to ask for help. She couldn't ask for couples counselling. She had saved the world, but she couldn't save her own family...

And with that last, depressing thought, Sydney turned into the driveway of her house, driving a little faster and more aggressively than she would otherwise. She slammed the car door shut, and walked up to the front door of her home, opened the door and marched inside, calling to her children to come and help her with the groceries. She walked into the kitchen and heard the TV on some kind of cartoon, and she called out to her son.

"Jack, did you not just hear me call you? Come and help me!" After hearing no reply, she walked into the lounge room, and stopped as she saw Jack sitting on the couch watching the TV and eating a half open packet of crisps.

"Jack Bristow! What have I told you about getting into the junk food without asking? I was saving those for when your friends come over on Saturday!"

The thirteen year old groaned loudly. "What? But it was already open!"

"Oh, don't you give me that 'it was already open' stuff! I was not born yesterday!"

"Mom, I swear, it was already open!"

"Do not swear, young man. But I believe you. If you didn't open the packet of crisps, then maybe your sister did. Isabelle!" She marched up the stairs and banged at her daughter's door, but received no answer.

Jack frowned as he walked up the stairs to see what his mother was doing. "Mom, Iz isn't here."

"What do you mean she isn't here? She should have been back from school over an hour ago," Sydney told him as she opened the door and look around, but, seeing no one, she shut it once more.

The young teen shrugged. "That's what I thought, but I guess she must have stopped by a friend's place or something. Maybe she's at Rory's?"

Sydney frowned, and motioned for her son to follow her. "We'll go out and get these groceries inside and then I'll call Rory's mother to see what's goin' on."

"But Mom, the ads are over! I have to see the ending-"

"Pause it. You can watch it later," she answered curtly.

Jack turned, looking at his mother as though she was insane. "Mom, you can't pause live TV! Unless, of course, you got that thing I was telling you about-"

"One word. Reruns," she told him obviously.

"Reruns is two words, Mom!" Jack insisted, and Sydney bit her lip so hard it almost bled.

"Just come and help," she sighed and walked outside with the reluctant helper in tow.

Together, they carried the groceries inside, and Sydney reflected that this was the first thing they had done together in a long time.

"You can go and watch the rest of your TV show, but the I want you to turn it off and go do your homework, okay?"

"Fine," Jack groaned, though he didn't actually intend to do what she had directed.

Once he had left the room, Sydney picked up the phone and dialed Rory's house. "Charlene? Hi, it's Sydney."

"Hey Syd, you know, I was just talking to Rory, and she said that Iz and her wanted to have a sleeover and all that cute girly stuff this Friday night. Do you think that's alright?"

"Oh, yeah, that should be fine. Is Iz there with you now?"

"Umm, no, I haven't seen her since she came by and waited for Rory to finish doing her hair this morning, You know, I think it's so nice that they are such good friends, and Isabelle is so good to my Rory! I know she can talk a little too much sometimes, but your Isabelle is so patient and everything! I mean-"

"I am really, really sorry Charlene, but I have to go."

"Is everything alright sweetheart? You sound a little out of sorts."

"I just don't know where she could be."

"Who?"

"Isabelle."

"Oh, that's why you called. Well, as I said, she isn't here. Are you sure she isn't over there at your place? You know, she could be in her room or something..."

"Well, I called out for her and had a look in her room, but I can't see her."

"Okay, well hang on a minute and I'll go see if Rory has any clue."

There were some muffled voices before Charlene's voice came back over the phone. "I'm so sorry, Syd, but Rory says that she hasn't seen her since this afternoon. She thought that Iz was just gonna go home and have a normal night, you know? Are you sure she isn't there?"

"I don't think she is..." her voice trailed off as she saw something on the floor in the corner. "What?"

"What is it? What's wrong?"

"It's Iz's back pack...it's right here..." she frowned, getting more and more worried by the minute. "Charlene, I think I'm gonna have to call you back."

"Oh, don't bother darling, I am coming right over this instant. I'll see you in a bit. Hang on 'til I get there, okay?"

"Okay, thank you," Sydney replied distractedly as she saw the yellow sticky note lying on the floor. She hung up the phone and picked up the piece of paper, and recognized her own hand writing.

It was the note she had left for Isabelle.

Tears pricked at the back of her eyes, and she bit her lip as she held them in. _Just think, Sydney. What would she have done once she got home? _The note told her to feed the fish and clean the pool, so that's what she must have done.

Sydney walked over to the fish tank and peered in, but realized this was pointless as the fish would have already eaten any food that was put in there. She walked outside, and the first thing she noticed was the pool, that had been almost completely covered with leaves when she left, was now completely clean. Spotless. Isabelle always did a job properly, and chores were not an exception.

Sydney then walked over to the pool shed and looked onside, locating the net and bucket. She wiped her fingers along the inside of the red bucket, and found it dry. There were a few drops of water on the bottom, but other than that it was dry. Wet leaves would have been in there, and seeing as it was pretty much completely dry, Isabelle must have done her chores the moment she got home.

Running desperately, Sydney tore back into the house. She ran past her son, who was still watching TV even though his show was over, and ignored him as he asked her what she was doing.

She ran up the stairs, ducking in and out off all the rooms on her way, constantly screaming her daughter's name. "Isabelle! Where are you? Isabelle!"

But no answer came.

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><p>When Isabelle woke, all she could think was one thing.<p>

_Ouch! _

Her head was pounding, and her wrists were sore. She soon realized why.

She was lying on a table, in the middle of a white room, completely and utterly alone. She was dressed in a white, hospital type gown, and her wrists were cuffed tightly to the sides of the table. As for why her head was hurting, her best guess would be that someone had knocked her out.

The door on the far end burst open, interrupting Isabelle from her thoughts and making her start.

"I'm sorry, did I scare you?"

She didn't reply, but instead stared at him, taking in his appearance. He was tall and wiry, with greying hair and frightening blue eyes that seemed as though they could pierce through anything. She gulped, waiting for what was to come.

"Well, I suppose you think you're too good to speak with me, don't you, little witch? Never mind, your cooperation and speech is not necessary for what we hope to achieve. by the time we are done, you are likely to never speak again."

"Why?" Isabelle asked, forgetting her attempt to ignore him.

The man lent over her, peering down at her with his eyes, and smiled maliciously. "Because, my dear, you are going to scream so loud, your throat will bleed, and you will never speak again, for it will hurt far too much to do so."

Tears filled the eyes of the scared young teen. "What do you want with me?"

"What do I want with you? Nothing, nothing at all."

Tears trickled down the sides of her face, and she pulled at her bonds. "Then why am I here? Let me go!"

"I am afraid it just would not do to release you, dear. You see, I want nothing to do with you. You are just a child. But, the people I work for have different ideas. Ideas with which, unfortunately for you, I must comply. Now, I want you to lie very still..." his voice trailed off and Isabelle tried to crane her neck to see what he was doing, but she couldn't quite see. But then she heard something being wheeled over to her bedside, and the next thing she knew there was a sharp pinch in her arm, and she gasped.

"Sorry about that, my dear but I am afraid that while it is not necessary, you will appreciate it."

Isabelle cried out, and looked down at her arm, where a needle was now situated. From that needle, came a tube, and the tube was connected to something out of her vision. Something was being put into her, and she didn't know what.

"What is that? What are you doing to me?" she yelled, and the man frowned.

"Oh, you are such a squealer. Honestly, I expected better of you, what with your parents and all. In answer to your question, you are now being put under a heavy sedative for an undetermined amount of time. The next time you wake up, I believe you will feel quite different to what you do now..."

"A sedative? No, let me go! I won't let you do this! I didn't do anything, I swear! Please, let me go!" she begged and pleaded with the man, but he just shook his head sadly.

"You are not here for what you have done, Miss Vaughn. This is not about your past, but about creating a future..."

Isabelle desperately tried to remain awake, but it was much more difficult than she had ever imagined. She reflected, somewhat ironically, that not long ago she had been fighting rest in English class. This was much more different...

Her eyes began to droop shut, but she forced them to open. Inwardly, she wanted nothing more than to close her eyes and block out everything that was happening. The man, her capture, everything. But she somehow knew she had to fight it.

If only she was a strong as her mother...

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><p>Pierre Barthelemy smiled with grim satisfaction as he watched the young girl's eyes finally shut. With one last glance at her young face, he left the room and walked along the corridors, eventually ending up in the office his superior.<p>

"Miss Vaughn is asleep. What would you like me to do next?" he asked respectfully, and with a somewhat nervous tone.

"Notify the scientists. Tell them to begin," the voice replied, well, commanded.

"Of course. At once," he nodded once before leaving the room and walking to do as he was bid.

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><p>When Michael Vaughn go home from work at the CIA, he found a confused son, an upset family friend and a frantic wife. Not exactly what he had been expecting...<p>

"What's wrong Syd?" he asked concernedly, and his wife spun around at the sound of his voice. He saw that her eyes were red and puffy, and her face was a shade or two paler than usual.

"Where the hell have you been?" she hissed at him, and Charlene looked decidedly uncomfortable.

"What do you mean? I have been at work Sydney. You do remember what work is like, don't you?" He knew he shouldn't have said it, but these days he just couldn't stop himself. Sydney had refused to work for the CIA after a rather unfortunate incident, and now was simply a Teacher's Aide at a school, and she often only had to work for half the day.

His wife's eyes flared, and he expected some wort of retort, but she said nothing about it. "I have rung you eight times, and gotten no answer each time. Do you know how scared I am?"

"Syd, I am not usually home until fifteen minutes after now anyway. Why were you so worried about me?"

"You idiot! I am not worried about you!"

"Then what is the matter with you woman?"

Sydney bit her lip as tears sprung to her eyes once more. "Isabelle is missing."

Michael stopped in his tracks, dropping his suitcase on the floor in shock. "What are you talking about?"

"She's gone, Michael. I came home, thinking she was here, but she wasn't. I called Charlene, and the last time Rory saw her she was on her way here from school. Her bag is here, and she cleaned the pool, but other than that, there is no sign that she was here!" She was nearly hysterical, and Charlene stepped forward, placing an arm on her shoulder.

Taking a deep, shaky breath, Michael spoke. "Have you called the police?"

Sydney shook her head and was about to speak, but Charlene interrupted. "I wanted to, but she wouldn't let me. I have no idea why, though."

Michael nodded, looking at his wife. He knew why. If the police came, they wouldn't be able to do much, and it would just be a waste of time. They knew nothing about his or Sydney's involvement with the CIA, or former involvement in his wife's case, and it would have to stay that way. If Isabelle's disappearance had anything to do with his and Syd's past enemies, then the CIA were the only people who could help them.

"I am just going to go give the police a call," he told them, giving Sydney a look, and she nodded, understanding him. "Just stay here."

He walked away from them and into the front sitting room, and dialed Eric's number.

"Weiss here."

"It's me, Michael."

"Hey Mike, you wanna come over to my place? If you and Syd are still fighting then-"

"No, Eric, I can't. Now listen to me. Are you still at work?"

"Yeah, I was just finishing up a report and then I was gonna go home. Is everything alright?"

Ignoring his final question, Michael continued. "Is Dixon still there?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"Take the phone into his office and put it on loudspeaker."

"Mike, what's going-"

"Just do it, Eric!"

"Okay, man. It's okay."

There was some background noise and some muffled voices before Dixon's voice came loud and clear.

"Vaughn, is everything alright?"

"Isabelle's missing," he managed to force the words through the lump in his throat.

"What?" Eric asked, horrified.

"Syd came home from shopping after work, and she wasn't there. She's looked everywhere for her, and she's not there!"

"I know this sounds obvious, but have you checked to see if she's at other people's houses?" Dixon asked, trying to remain calm, though he was failing. He had just been told that his god daughter was missing, after all.

"Of course we have. That was the first thing Syd checked. And there's more."

"More? What now?" Eric groaned, not wanting any more mad news.

"Her back pack is here, and Syd asked her to clean the pool, and it's now spotless."

There was a silence, before Dixon cleared his throat. "I know this sounds really horrible, and there is no easy way to say this, but, have you checked in the pool?"

An expression of horror came over his face, and he bolted through the house and outside. It was now darkening, but he could still see. He pressed the phone in between his cheek and his shoulder as he opened the gate to the pool and ran in, desperately searching the water. Nothing.

He sighed with relief. "No, she isn't there. Thank God for that."

"Michael, what are you doing?" Sydney asked from behind him.

"Don't freak out, but I was just checking in the pool, you know, just in case..." he trailed off, not able to finish the sentence.

Syd nodded, biting her lip and tucked her hair behind her ears. "I found the net and bucket in the pool shed. She definitely finished this before..."

Michael nodded, and, for the first time in almost months, he put an arm around his wife. "It's gonna be okay, Syd. Here, you talk to the police and I'll go inside to be with Charlene, okay?" He handed the phone over to her and gave her a final squeeze before walking inside.

"Hello?" Syd said into the phone.

"Hey Syd, how are you holding up?" Dixon asked her, and tears sprung into her eyes as he spoke.

"I don't know..." she trailed off, holding back a sob.

"Syd, that's it, I am coming over there right now. I'll get Eric to talk to Marshall and Rachel, and they'll get started on having a look at what could have happened. We are going to find her, Syd. I promise."

"Thank you so much Dixon."

"We'll make sure she comes back lookin' and feelin' even better than she was when she left, Syd," Eric said, and she smiled sadly, though they couldn't see it.

"Thanks Weiss."

"We'll go now, but I'll be there in about 15 minutes, give or take a little. Keep smiling, Syd. We'll find her," soothed Dixon, desperately wanting to believe his own words.

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><p>"Check mate," West announced, grinning proudly.<p>

"You're kidding me!" Alex yelled angrily, thumping his hand against the table.

West just smiled even wider. "That'll be $40."

Groaning, Alex pulled his wallet out of his pocket, mumbling something about a 'damn smart freak'. He handed over the money, and West grinned happily.

"Thank you for your generous contribution," he said cheekily, and Alex glared at him.

"Shut up," he commented, sounding annoyed, but he was actually hiding a small grin. The competition was good for both of them, and it gave them other things to think about. Being wanted fugitives hunted by the government wasn't exactly something that was very pleasant to think about all the time.

They were about to launch into another mock argument when the door burst open to reveal a very puffed out Sparrow. "You guys...Micah...found something..."

The effect was instantaneous. The two teens shot up from where they sat and ran with a puffed out Sparrow to where Micah sat at a computer desk, typing furiously, with a frowning Abigail standing behind him.

"What's up?" Alex asked.

"I was just running a check on a few things, and I found something you might be interested in."

They all frowned and leaned toward the screen, looking for what Micah was talking about. The young boy tapped a few keys and a picture appeared on the screen. It was a bird's eye view of a warehouse, and it looked pretty big. It was surrounded by a fence, and it looked like it was pretty high, but it was hard to tell the height of things from the angle they were looking at.

"What is it?" West asked the obvious question that was on everyone's mind.

"This here, is the home for the latest project for Pinehearst," Micah explained, bracing himself for the reactions the others would have to his comment.

"Pinehearst is gone, Micah," Alex said frowning.

"Not necessarily," Abigail told them.

"What do you mean, not necessarily? Arthur Petrelli was the leader, and he was shot in the head!" Alex said obviously.

"I think this was bigger than Arthur Petrelli," Sparrow commented, and Micah nodded in agreement.

"I have had suspicions that Pinehearst might still be at large for a while now, but I didn't want to say anything until I knew, seeing as I knew it would freak you guys out a bit."

West gave an exasperated sigh. "Micah, look, don't take this the wrong way, but, dude, you're the youngest of all of us. You should let us know, or at least one of us as well. You can't take everything on your shoulders. There is a point at which you have to accept the fact that while your natural instinct is to protect us, we would also like to protect you too. Please, just let us know next time," he asked his friend, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"I know, you're right, but we can talk about this later. Right now, we have another mission to plan."

A small smile creeped over Alex's features. "For once, I think that sounds pretty neat."

West rolled his eyes. "Only you, Al. Only you. Anyway, what is their latest project?"

"Not what. Who," Micah told them, and another picture appeared on the screen. West noticed that he didn't even touch the keyboard or mouse, and was slightly creeped out once more by the kid's uncanny ability to make machines do whatever he wanted them to.

Turning his attention to the screen, West was shocked. There, on the screen, was a young girl, about his own age. She was pretty, to say the least. Her hair was brown and her eyes were a bright hazel. She was wearing a red t-shirt and jeans, looking relaxed and casual, and was sitting on a swing at the park.

"Where did you even get this photo?" Alex asked, eyebrows raised. "I mean, I understand, sort of, how you got the one of the warehouse, with satellites and all that, but how did you get this?"

Micah smiled, somewhat sheepily. "Facebook doesn't have quite as good security as it likes it's users to believe."

Abigail snorted. "I think the security is fine, seeing as the people who designed it weren't really expecting that there would be a random kid out there that can talk to machines of any sort, and break any code out there before Alex can finish eating a hamburger."

Alex was about to retort, but West interrupted him, preventing the coming argument between the two. "Micah, why is she there? Who is she?"

"Her name is Isabelle Nadia Bristow Vaughn. There is actually a lot out there about her. She lives in Los Angeles, and both her parents are alive and well. She has a younger brother, Jackson Daniel Bristow Vaughn. Her parents married after she was born, and there seems to be a lot of conflicting information about them-"

"Micah, not that this isn't really interesting, but we really need to get to the mission," Abigail interrupted softly, and Micah nodded.

"Of course. Anyway, as far as I know at the moment, she was taken from her home after returning home from school. She was alone at the time, as her father was still at work, her mother was out shopping for groceries and her brother was on the way home from school on the bus, as he goes to a different school to her, and his is a little farther away.

"Anyway, she was taken by Pinehearst agents in her house, tranquilized and taken to this warehouse. She has been there for about 12 hours now, and she is connected to a pretty heavy sedative, and I don't think she's gonna be waking up any time soon. They have some plans for her, but I am not sure what they are."

West nodded, processing the information. "So, she was taken unwillingly?"

"Yes, as far as I can tell. I mean, why put all those sedatives in her if she was fine with what was going on?" Micah asked rhetorically.

"Does she have an ability?" Sparrow asked, and Micah shrugged.

"I haven't found any evidence of it, and her name hasn't appeared on any of Suresh's lists, so I don't know. But, I don't think they would take have taken her if she didn't have one, don't you agree?"

"Probably not," Alex commented.

"Well, we won't know unless we ask her ourselves," Abigail said lightly, and they all nodded, and gathered together.

"I think that it would be best if West went in from the Air, taking Abigail with him," Micah suggested, and Abigail smiled. Secretly, she was glad to not have to go with Alex anywhere, as she and him didn't get along very well. She found his ego incredibly annoying.

"What about the rest of us?" Alex asked.

"I can take you through the ground, but we'll have to resurface every few minutes to keep our air levels up in there," she replied, and Alex's eyes widened.

"You can do that?" He asked disbelievingly.

"I think so. I mean, all I have to do is create a bubble of rock around us, and then I can move us through all the other rock. It would make cracks above us, but it would mean we could get under the fence that way."

Micah bit his lip and nodded. "I should probably stay here, since then I could organize everything and make sure there are no surprises waiting in there."

"Yeah, surprises aren't always good," Alex said, and Abigail rolled her eyes.

"So, we've got it sorted? I take Abby in through the air, and Sparrow takes Alex underground. It sounds pretty good to me. Hey Micah, do you want me to give Molly a call and see if she wants to come and keep you company?" He asked the last question somewhat cheekily, as he knew that Micah and Molly seemed to get along too well for 'just friends'.

Micah blushed, but it wasn't very visible on his dark skin. "No, don't call her. She's happy where she is."

Not knowing when to leave it, Alex took up West's teasing of Micah. "I think she would be happier here with her Prince Charming..." he trailed off, raising his eyebrows suggestively.

And, unable to hold in her annoyance any longer, Abigail slapped Alex on the back of the head. Hard.

"Hey! What was that for?"

Abigail tilted her head to the side and pursed her lips. "Gee, let me see, you annoy me, you are teasing Micah, you annoy me, you have a big head, and, oh, did I mention that you annoy me?"

"No, I think you missed that part. It's a good thing you mentioned it at the end, or else I wouldn't have known how you truly felt about me!" He was being over dramatic, and deliberately annoying, and, though he was trying to be funny, he merely earned himself another slap on the back of the head.

"Ouch! Would you stop doing that?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I was just trying to show you how I truly feel about you," she told him, and flicked her hair before walking off, only daring to allow a smirk on her face once she was out the door of the small room.

Abigail - 157832. Alex - 0.

* * *

><p>When Dixon arrived at the house, he was greeted by a teary Sydney and a pale faced Vaughn. Jack looked more confused and upset than ever, and Charlene stood there, trying to think about where Isabelle could possibly be. All in the house were confused and upset, but many just reacted differently.<p>

The moment she saw him, Sydney rushed to Dixon, who was her oldest and dearest friend, and he enveloped her in a big hug. "It gonna be okay, Syd. We'll find her. I promise."

Nodding tearfully, she pulled away and led him into the house. They all stood around, in the kitchen, and Dixon gave Jack's shoulder a little squeeze. "It's gonna be fine, kid."

Jack gave a small smile. "Thanks, Uncle Dixon."

There was a silence, and Charlene broke it. "I am really sorry, but I have to go home and make dinner. I couldn't leave it to Greg, he'd burn the whole house down before I could even get out the door." She smiled, and turned to Sydney. "You make sure you get some sleep tonight, and just remember to keep eating and breathing. Everything will be okay." She embraced her friend before showing herself out and walking the whole way to her home, which wasn't very long at all.

* * *

><p><strong>Hey guys, I am sorry it is so short, but I didn't really want to make the second chapter such a big one since I am trying to stretch it out a bit. I know what I want to do with this story, and it's pretty exciting, but I think that it would be pretty short if I didn't add lots of stuff in. :)<strong>

**I hope you liked it! There will be much more action in the next chapter, I promise! PLEASE REVIEW!**


	3. Rescue

**Hey guys! I know I am sort of neglecting my other stories a little bit, but I am really excited about this story! **

**Also, I would just like to add that this story has no reviews yet. Guys, if you have me on Author alert and you know this story exists and are reading it, even if you have reveiwed other stories, please just leave a sentence and let me know what you think! XD**

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing but some of the plot (further into the story though, as I am changing it then) and any OCs that I choose to bring in. And guys, if you want me to add a character in that you think would be cool, let me know, even if it is an OC, and I will dedicate them to you. :)**

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><p>There was nothing. Absolutely nothing. Over 24 hours of searching, and nothing was found. It was as though Isabelle Nadia Bristow Vaughn never existed.<p>

Sydney and Michael had spent days at the CIA, and left Jack with Charlene while they did. As far as Jack and Charlene knew, they were with the police.

While there, the couple spent their time with Marshall and Rachel going through everything they could possibly find. Carrie often went and got coffee and food for all of them when she could, and Marcus oversaw the whole situation. But, as said before, despite all the talented people searching for her, they found nothing,

And so, Sydney had to come to a decision. On the second day after Isabelle's disappearance, she got the whole group together in the conference room.

"What's the matter, Syd?" Dixon asked, looking at her with concern.

"I think I know a way to find out more about what happened."

Weiss frowned. "How? Haven't we tried everything?"

Syd gulped and looked at the floor. "We have, but I believe we have an old friend who would be able to help us more."

"Who, Syd? Stop playing games and just tell us!" Michael snapped, and everyone looked at him for a moment before turning their attentions back to his wife.

"I think..." She sighed, deciding to just come right out with it. "I think this might have something to do with Rambaldi. And that's why I am going to see the only person who knows about Rambaldi and what happened, other than us. I am going to Berlin, the last place where Julien Sark was seen. I am going to find him, and make him talk."

Without waiting to hear any replies or see any reactions to her statement, Sydney left the room and the door closed itself with a bang.

Sydney Bristow was back.

* * *

><p>"You guys ready?" Sparrow asked, looking at her friends carefully. They were all a little pale, even Alex, and were really nervous about what was happening.<p>

West gulped, trying to swallow his fear, and nodded. "Y-yeah. I think so." He glanced around, and the others were nodded slowly. For a moment, West earnestly wished to be any place other than the one he was in now, standing outside a huge, barbed wire fence, about to break into massive warehouse full of armed and dangerous guards. But then he remembered the picture of a girl on a swing, smiling and laughing as she looked up to the sky. She had looked so peaceful, and full of joy, but right then, she was shut inside a building having God know what done to her.

And with that final, dark thought, West grabbed Abby and soared into the air, catching a glimpse of Sparrow and Alex disappearing under the ground and he watched as a bump on the ground beneath him traveled, and he could see it. Sparrow was using her ability to move herself and Alex through the rocks, but it was leaving it's mark.

Flying even faster, West flew toward the building. They had made it so there was a lot of space between the fence and the building, but West got across it with ease. He landed on the roof easily, letting down a pale faced Abigail, who looked very relieved when her feet touched the flat roof. She never had liked flying.

"How do we get in again?" she asked, frowning at him and wondering how on earth they were supposed to get into such a heavily guarded building.

"I'll lower you down to one of the windows, and you'll go in first." She paled noticeably, and he put his hand on her arm and gave her an encouraging smile. "Don't worry, Abbie I'll be right after you."

She nodded and gulped with fear. West grabbed her around the waist, and soon her feet were no longer touching the roof. She closed her eyes tigthly, and felt the wind blow past her face for a few moments, before West whispered in her ear. "Open your eyes, Abs. We're here."

She looked in front of her, and, sure enough, there was a window. It was shut and locked, and there was an office inside. Thankfully, the office was empty, just as Micah had said it would be. She reached out gingerly, and placed her hand on the glass. She used her ability to create a force field, and soon the glass shattered, and she winced at the sound it made. She jumped inside, and heard West come after her.

West looked around him, and everything he saw looked fairly normal. The office was simple, and elegant at the same time. The computer was fairly modern, and looked very expensive. The chairs were nice, leather office chairs that looked as though they had enough padding in them to be lounges.

"W-what do we do now?" Abby asked, looking at her friend anxiously.

West raised his eyebrows. "Didn't you listen to Micah?"

"Well, yeah, but..." she trailed off, looking down at the floor.

"You were thinking about Alex, weren't you?" West asked her, hiding a smile.

"I was thinking about how annoying he is!" the young woman protested, holding her hands in front of her.

West nodded, pretending to understand. "Yeah, I know, you really do hate him, don't you?"

Abbie's eyes narrowed. "Believe what you want, Rosen. What's next?"

West walked out of the room quickly and motioned for Abbie to follow him. He whispered a reply to her."We have to get to the labs. That's where they're holding her. Micah has hacked into the network, and all the cameras are on a loop. If we get in and out of here as soon as possible, then we should be good. If we're lucky, we'll only have to take out a few guards on the way down there. Alex and Sparrow are going to get some tapes and files, and then meet us at the rendezvous point."

She nodded. "We should probably shut up and listen more, hey?"

"Yeah, probably."

* * *

><p>Sweat dripped down Sparrow's forehead and her muscles ached, but she refused to stop for herself. It was insufferably hot inside the hollow rock sphere she had made, and she moved it through the fairly loose soil as quickly as she could.<p>

"I...need...air..." Alex gasped from behind her. The oxygen in the small space was quickly running out, and Sparrow knew she had to resurface soon. She just didn't want to be the one to make that decision, seeing as if she did, the insufferable idiot would mock her for it. So, once he admitted his need, and moved them upwards and soon the broke through the surface and she pushed the rock apart, and they both squinted as light flooded their vision.

They lay on the ground for a few moments, breathing heavily, before Sparrow turned to her 'friend'. "You ready?" she breathed, and her nodded, though he looked anything but.

She gave a small smirk as she planted her feet on the ground and gathered the hard rock around them once more, and Alex took a deep breath, ready to go underground once more, for God knows how long.

* * *

><p>Sydney was packing her bags as her husband walked in, and she prepare herself for the argument she knew was to come.<p>

"Syd-"

"No, Michael! I know what you are going to say, and I will not listen to you. I am going to Berlin, and I am going to find Sark, and that is the end of it. Nothing you can say will change my mind."

"Syd, please, just listen to me. Sark is dangerous, and for all we know he could have a hand in all of this. Please, at least think about this more carefully first, let the CIA make some arrangements to ensure that you are totally safe!"

She spun around to face him and glared into his eyes. "My daughter is missing, and you expect to _wait_?" She hissed viciously, and Michael winced.

"Our daughter is missing, Syd, and the only thing that could hurt me more than losing Isabelle would be to lose you too," he told her, desperately trying to make her understand.

"Michael, I am going to Berlin, whether you like it or not. There is nothing that can be done to change my mind. Now, I am going to book my flight and then finish packing." She turned, about to walk off, but Michael stopped her.

"Are you sure there is nothing that could change your mind?" he asked her gently, and she nodded.

"I have to do this, Michael. I will not let Rambaldi take anything or anyone else away from me, I swear it," she spat in disgust as she spoke the dead man's name.

"Well, if you are absolutely sure that this is what you want to do, then I guess this would help." He handed her an envelope.

"What is this?" she demanded as she broke the seal and slid out the contents.

"It's a note, from Sark. It seems that somehow, he knew that you would want to find him," Michael told her, looking displeased.

Sydney scoured the note with her eyes, again noting how the British brat still sounded arrogant in writing.

_Sydney,_

_I have recently been informed of your daughter's disappearance. I offer my best wishes and assistance for her recovery, though you may not believe me, but I give you my word that I am not involved in any way. Should you be interested in my assistance, meet me at the docks at Lubeck, Germany, on the 17th of March. I would prefer you came alone, but should you insist on being accompanied, you may bring your charming husband with you. I will be in my boat, which bears a name you shall recognize as mine on sight, I assure you. _

_Regards,_

_Julian_

There was a silence as Sydney bit her lip and considered the contents of the message. "Have you read it yet?"

"No, it just came in the mail this morning, and it was addressed to you, so..." he stopped speaking as she thrust it into his hands, and, with one last glance at her, he scanned the note. Sydney watched as his jaw clenched and his eyes flared. Once he was done, he looked up at her. "We have to take this in. Come on."

"Wait, if you knew this was from Sark, why didn't you take it into the CIA first?" Sydney asked, frowning.

"Because I think we both know from experience that the CIA can't always handle things very well."

* * *

><p>Abigail panted as she ran down the flights of stairs, and she groaned as her legs ached with each step. West couldn't help but grin at her as he floated along behind her, not even touching the ground.<p>

Abbie turned around to look at him and rolled her eyes as she continued. "Show off," she mumbled under her breath.

"What's that, Abbie? Did you just me to fly you down the rest of the way? 'Cause, you know I am always happy to help you out," he said cheekily, and it made the poor girl even angrier.

She was about to retort, but Micah's voice sounded in both of their ears.

"Guys, Sparrow and Alex are at the entrance. They are taking care of some of the guards and they're gonna get to the security room and get those tapes, so you guys better hurry to get Iz."

"Iz? Really, you've nicknamed her already Mike?" Abbie asked, smirking.

"Hey, I have been looking at information about her and I have found some pretty interesting stuff. She actually prefers being called Iz, and she is a heaps friendly person. I will tell you guys more when you get back, okay? Now, go and save a life!"

* * *

><p>Sydney and Vaughn walked into the meeting room and glanced around at their coworkers. Rachel, Marshall, Dixon and Weiss all sat around the large table and all stared at the couple, waiting to see what they had to say.<p>

"Is everything alright guys?" Dixon asked, feeling impatient after seeing the look on Syd's face.

"We got a message you guys might be interested in," Sydney told them, and pulled Sark's note from her jacket. "It's from Sark."

There were audible gasps from around the room, and Sydney looked at them. "Do you want me to read it out to you or what?"

"I think you should just read it out, Syd. That way they all hear it at the same time," Michael suggested, and Sydney nodded, and did as he said.

When she was finished, mouths in the room were wide open. Well, all except Rachel's. She was never really surprised when it came to things about Sark.

Dixon was the first to recover from the shock. "Are you going to meet him, Syd? You did want to talk to him, after all."

"I know, but I guess I am a little annoyed that, once more, Sark knows more than us. And not just in about any random thing, either! He knows more about what is happening to my daughter and where she is than I do, and I hate that that is possible. I have tried so hard to find her, we all have, and the thought that some random criminal knows what we don't after days of searching really annoys me."

"Well, this isn't just any random criminal, Syd. It's Sark," Weiss reminded her. and she nodded.

"True. I guess I shouldn't be surprised," she admitted, sighing angrily.

"You're right. You shouldn't be surprised," Rachel agreed. "None of you should be. I mean, this is Julian Sark. He isn't number 3 on the CIA's most wanted list for nothing. He serves himself only, and sells his temporary loyalties to the highest bidder."

"What are you saying, Rachel?" Sydney asked.

"Look, Syd, when I heard that you were seeking out Sark to ask him about this, I was skeptical about whether or not it would work, but I just thought that if there was a chance it could help find Isabelle, then it was worth trying. That was before this note."

"What does the note change? Now, we know where he is," Weiss said, and Rachel fixed him with a glare.

"The note means that he knows what is going on, and there is only one way he could know that. He would have to be involved somehow. The only possible reason he would offer his assistance to you would be because either he intends to gain your trust and then betray you, or he wants something in return."

"Or by doing this he would be annoying whoever is behind whatever is going on," Sydney suggested, and everyone looked at her, so she decided to elaborate on her statement. "Well, if someone has betrayed him, or done something worthy of his dislike or vengeance, then maybe he is ruining something for them by helping get Isabelle back."

"Are you saying that Sark might actually be telling the truth that he wants to help you?" Marshall asked disbelievingly.

"That's exactly what I am saying," Sydney replied simply.

"How could you say that, Syd? This is SARK, okay, and the last time I checked, you and him weren't exactly chummy."

"We might not be friends, but I know that he doesn't have anything to do with Isabelle's disappearance."

"And how do you know that, Syd?" Rachel asked gently, looking at her friend.

"Because he said so," Sydney replied, as though it was obvious. "I have worked both alongside and against Sark more than anyone else in this room, so don't any of you tell me I am being crazy, stupid or naive. Sark gave his word in this letter that he has nothing to do with it, so I believe him. Sark may be many things, but he is a man of his word, and the only thing I am currently doubting is whether or not Sark actually wrote this note. If he did, and I can know that for sure, then there is nothing stopping me from going to Lubeck. But if I can't know for sure, then I am still going, but I will be extra careful."

There was a silence. To the people in the room at that time, it seemed to be endless, but in reality it wasn't more than 2 minutes.

"Are you sure, Syd?" Dixon asked eventually.

Sydney looked at him, her eyes pleading for him to understand. "My daughter's life is at stake, and this is the only lead I have. Whether I am sure or not makes no difference. I have no choice."

"Well, you're not going by yourself," Weiss said obviously, and Sydney breathed a silent sigh of relief that they were finally coming around.

"I am not taking the CIA with me. What has been said and shown in this room does not leave this room. In fact, I think it's pretty safe to say that I am only telling this to you guys because you are my friends, and nothing more. I would like your input and support, but Sark will not appreciate having the CIZ on his tail. If there is something that I have learnt about Sark other than him always keeping his word, it's that he always knows when he's being double crossed."

"Except for that time in Tunisia, when he was double crossed by Kazari."

"Never mind that," Sydney said. "If I bring CIA, it is highly likely that Sark will find out, and he will run. I am not taking that chance, because if he runs away, he takes any chance of me finding Isabelle with him! I will do what the note says, and nothing else."

"Which means that I am coming with you," Michael announced.

"What?" Sydney exclaimed loudly.

"He said I could come if I wanted to, and I do want to. In fact, whether he had said I could go or not, I would still be going," Michael explained.

"But-"

"No, Syd!" he interrupted. "Isabelle is just as much my daughter as she is yours! I love her just as much as you do, and I want her safe more than anything. I am going, and that is final!"

Sydney glared at him. "Who do you think you are?"

"Excuse me? I am her father!" he yelled, and his face went red.

"You're not much of one," Sydney mumbled, and the moment Michael heard it his face became purple.

"I have tried my best, Sydney! There is nothing more I can do! I have done everything I can, and if it isn't enough for you to accept my responsibility for Isabelle, then, well, that's your problem!"

Sydney stood, and all in the room were slowly inching away from the table a little, and the tension in the air was tangible. "Where were you when she was born? Where were you when she opened her eyes for the first time, or when she giggled for the first time? Huh? Having a lovely holiday in Asia!"

Michael stood and his fury matched his wife's. "I was there because I had to be! I was there to recover from taking 15 rounds to the chest, unless you have forgotten! I have tried my best for her, and for you, but if that isn't enough, then I give up! I will find my daughter my own way. I will use the CIA to do it, seeing as you are far too afraid of Sark's reaction to do so! I will take advantage of my job and my position to find my daughter, and you can run around consorting with criminals!"

"Do what you want, Michael. It makes no difference to me," Sydney hissed. "Goodbye, Vaughn."

Michael held in a rather unmanly cry as he heard his own wife speak. She hadn't called him Vaughn for over 15 years, and it broke his heart to hear it from her. He bit his lip, and replied coolly. "Goodbye, Agent Bristow."

Sydney picked up her bag and grabbed the note from where it sat on the middle of the desk. She gave her husband one last, icy glare before storming out of the room and letting the door slam behind her.

Sydney Bristow may have been back in the game, but this time 'round, she was officially going solo.

* * *

><p>West swore loudly as he ducked the fire from the guards and dove around the corner. He turned to see if Abigail was having any problems, but found her holding her own perfectly well. She stood in a firm, fighting stance and held a force field in front of her, shielding herself from any bullets directed towards her. While her left arm was occupied with that task, her right constantly created smaller fields that she made larger and attacked several of the guards with, throwing them against walls and such.<p>

Soon enough, the guards were forced to retreat, and just as they were about to run around the corner looking for backup, the ground began to shake, and, bursting through the floor in a spectacular manner came a very dirty and sweaty Sparrow.

The Terra-kinetic skilfully used her ability to manipulate the walls of the corridor and soon all guards in sight were crushed, and Sparrow instantly felt the guilt she always did after taking lives, whether they were innocent or not.

She turned to Abby and West came out from behind the corner, looking impressed.

Abby frowned, and asked the obvious question. "Where's Alex?"

"He's gone to find the files," Sparrow replied. "Micah told us that you guys were having some problems, so I decided to come and help you guys. Alex is a big boy, and he can get the files. He managed to get a gun from one of the guards, so he's good," she told them, shrugging, and West grinned at the though of Alex wielding any sort of weapon. Abigail, however, was not quite as impressed at the thought as her friend was.

"You let Alex have a gun?" she asked incredulously, and Sparrow nodded.

"Well, the kid's gotta defend himself somehow!" she defended. "Besides, it was mainly for peace of mind. Please don't tell him this, but I actually unloaded it when he wasn't looking."

"How is it gonna protect him when it's not even loaded?" West queried.

"I checked for footsteps through the earth, and found nothing. All the guards are over on this side to stop you guys. They have no idea that there are more than two of us in here," she explained.

"Except now they know that there are at least three of us," Abigail told her obviously.

"True," Sparrow admitted, but she shrugged her shoulders. "Now, let's find this girl!"

* * *

><p>Sydney packed her bags, her fury showing on her face. She shoved the last of her clothes inside, spent a short amount of time thinking about what she had packed and if it was enough, before zipping up the luggage and tugging it out of the room. She walked down the stairs, not bothering to carry the suitcase behind her and letting it thump on the stairs one by one. She walked faster down the stairs, and once she reached the bottom the suitcase slammed on the ground behind her, but caught on the carpet that had come loose at the bottom of the stairs.<p>

Sydney became quickly frustrated with turning and jiggling the luggage, so she yanked it out and it came free, but hit her ankle as she did so. She cursed angrily, and held her foot in her hands her face becoming red.

"Mom?"

Sydney's head turned sharply to see her son standing in a doorway. "I'm sorry, Jack. Don't ever repeat what I just said."

"No, it's not that. Are you leaving?" he asked, frowning.

"What?"

"Mom, you have a suitcase. Where are you going?" He looked truly afraid of something.

"I'm just going on a trip for a while, that's all," Sydney explained, hoping her son wouldn't ask too many questions.

"Where to?" Jack asked.

"Somewhere. And no, you can't come. Stay here with your father and look after him. I will be back. Now no more questions," she ordered, using her no nonsense tone.

"What about Dad?"

"He's not coming with me, now stay here, do you understand me?"

"Yes mom," he sighed.

"Good. Now, stay safe and be good," she told him, and kissed him lightly on the cheek before leaving.

* * *

><p>"West, go and get the girl, we'll hold them off!" Sparrow yelled, and West nodded in response.<p>

He was about to turn and do so, but he had an idea and turned back to them. "You guys take out this lot and get out the front door, and make a clear path as you go. I'll fly and catch up!"

"But what about Alex?" Abigail asked from where she had her shields out, keeping them safe from the fire of the guards.

"You go get him!" Sparrow yelled. "I'll make the path with my ability. Go, Abby!"

Abby turned and ran in the opposite direction and turned to the left, heading for where Alex was.

Meanwhile, Sparrow turned to West. "Here, I got this from one of the guards!" she yelled, and tossed him a bunch of keys before she whirled around, and, with a flick of her hand the floor rose and three guards flew in the air as a result.

West lifted himself off the ground and flew (literally) through the corridors and towards where the map had said the holding cells would be. Once he reached them, he slowed down, peering in the windows of each. Some of them had padded walls, like something from an asylum, and others had bright, white tiles on the walls. He wondered how they kept them so clean.

Most of them were empty, but there was an occasional prisoner inside. West felt a pang of guilt running through him as he had to move on and leave them behind, but he knew that there was no way he would be able to get more than one prisoner out of here alive, and it would have to be Isabelle Bristow Vaughn.

Finally, he reached the cell he was looking for. 82. He set his feet on the ground and shoved one of the keys into the lock, but it did nothing. He quickly switched keys, and went through many before he finally got on that fitted. It slid in, and the door clicked. He flung it open and ran inside, looking around.

This cell was very different to the others, in many ways. It was dark, and smelt of chemicals and blood. It was larger than West had been expecting, to the other side where he saw a bed.

As he approached it, he saw her. Isabelle Nadia Bristow Vaughn.

And his life would never be the same again.

* * *

><p><strong>I know, it's a lot shorter than the other chapters that I write, but I didn't want to write West and Isabelle's meeting in only the second chapter! So, you will get that in the next one. :) *evil grin*<strong>

**So, please leave a review! I know that there are some people reading this, and I really want you guys to let me know what you think! **


	4. New Faces

**Here is the third chapter, in which you will have the official meeting between our two favorites! Personally, I am very excited! :P**

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing but some of the plot and any OCs I choose to bring in. By the way, for any of you that have only seen the Heroes TV series, the comics will make this all make much more sense, but it's okay if you haven't read them. Abigail and Sparrow are not my characters, nor will I lay any claim to them. They are two members of the group REBEL, which is run by Micah. They are the ones who saved all the people yada yada yada.**

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><p>"Hello there dearie! What's your name?" the old woman asked Sydney as she sat in her seat on the plane.<p>

Sydney looked at her with a small smile. She looked to be well into at least her 60s, and was wearing a bright purple floral dress. Her grey, frizzy hair was long and plaited, and she had sneakers on her feet. She was lean, and had kind grey eyes that still seemed to have some fire in them. Her mouth was curved into a bright smile, and she had a pair of glasses hanging from a cord around her neck.

"Sydney. Sydney Bristow," she replied with a half hearted smile.

"Well, it's nice to meet you Sydney. My name's Josephine Florina," came the response, and, to Sydney's surprise, the strange woman turned and offered a hand to her. Sydney took it and found her own hand shaken vigorously by the tough one. Josephine's skin was tough and leathery, showing signs of hard work over the years.

"Hi," Sydney said lamely, not knowing what to say.

"So, why are you travelling to Berlin?" Josephine asked conversationally in her British accent as she turned and settled back into her seat.

"Just some family business."

"You have family in Berlin? You are American!"

"Well, not exactly family in Berlin..." Sydney trailed off. She was usually good at lying, but she had a feeling this woman wouldn't take any of that. "I have family staying in Berlin."

"Sure, dearie," Josephine responded with raised eyebrows, and Sydney knew that her feeling had been right.

She sighed, and looked around. She was quite early for her flight, and there was hardly anyone on the plane. She turned to the old woman, glad to have someone to talk to. She certainly wouldn't be telling her everything, but she had a feeling this wise old woman could help her. "My daughter is missing."

Josephine nodded, but didn't look surprised in the least. "I had a feeling it was something like that."

"How did you know?" Sydney asked suspiciously.

"Well, you have the look of a concerned mother."

"I guess so. I just don't know where she could have gone!"

"Well, if you have no idea, then why pick Berlin? Surely there are many other places she could be," the woman reasoned, and Sydney shook her head.

"She is not in Berlin, but there is someone there that has said they can help me find her."

"Well, why is your husband not travelling with you?"

Sydney looked shocked at the woman's knowledge, but the realized that she was still wearing her wedding ring. "He stayed behind with our youngest."

"You fought with him, didn't you dear?"

Sydney shrugged, looking at the pattern on the seat in front of her.

"You know, I am sure that once she is found things will be alright."

"I don't think anything will ever be the same."

"Well, what were things like before she went missing?"

"I don't know, we didn't talk very much about anything. Her father and I fought a lot, and I just spent time dealing with our arguments. Isabelle is strong, and she can handle things herself."

Josephine looked skeptical. "Did you ever think that maybe she ran away?"

Sydney stopped. "She wouldn't do that? Why would she? I don't understand-"

"Unrest in the home can make young girls do many crazy things. Maybe she is just hiding near your house or something and this whole thing is a desperate plea for help."

"Do you really think she would do that?"

"Well, I don't know. You're her mother. Do you?"

Sydney stopped, and thought for a moment. "Yeah. I think she would have if she had the proper motivation."

Josephine nodded sympathetically. "Well, I think that anything could have happened. Let's just hope that she is found soon."

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><p>Finally, West reached the cell he was looking for. 82. He set his feet on the ground and shoved one of the keys into the lock, but it did nothing. He quickly switched keys, and went through many before he finally got on that fitted. It slid in, and the door clicked. He flung it open and ran inside, looking around.<p>

This cell was very different to the others, in many ways. It was dark, and smelt of chemicals and blood. It was larger than West had been expecting, to the other side where he saw a bed.

As he approached it, he saw her. Isabelle Nadia Bristow Vaughn.

And his life would never be the same again.

She lay there, in a hospital-type bed, hooked up to all sort of machines. He could hear the beep of her heart rate and see it on the monitor, and it was rather fast. He didn't know much about this sort of thing, but he was pretty sure hearts weren't supposed to be going that fast when someone was asleep.

The room began to shake, and West couldn't help but wonder what Sparrow was doing out there.

He quickly crossed over the the bed, and looked over the girl. She was definitely the same one from the picture, but this version of her looked, well, sick. She was pale, thin, and had dark circles under her eyes. There was a mask over her mouth, and West was pretty sure she was under a general anesthesia of some kind, causing her to remain unconscious.

Not knowing quite the proper procedure for this sort of thing, he gently tugged the mask off her face and put it to one side, and saw that her lips were blue and she looked quite cold. He pulled out the drip that was in her arm, and her brow creased at the sharp sting. A sigh escaped her lips, and he began tugging the assorted cords that were attached off her forehead, hands and neck.

He though he heard her say something, and he was about to bend down to try and wake her up a little, but he knew he had to get out of there at the earliest opportunity. He picked her up in his arms, and found her surprisingly light, and he lifted himself off the ground, flying toward the door. Once he was out in the corridor, he flew around the corner and couldn't help but laugh at what he saw.

When Sparrow had said she would clear a path, he though she meant she would go through and take out all the guards on her way to the exit, but she had literally blown a hole through all the walls, and he could see the outside from where he stood, or, hovered.

Wasting no time, he leaned forward and flew through the openings and was soon in open air, flying away from the damned place, and he was very happy to be doing so.

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><p>Sydney held the sides of her seat tightly in her hands as the plane shuddered. It was tilted down and beginning to descend toward the airport, and though she had flown many times before and it usually didn't bother her, she was feeling quite jumpy that day.<p>

Soon enough the pilot's voice came over the loudspeaker. "_Wir sind in Berlin. Bitte bleiben Sie in Ihren Sitzen, bis derSicherheitsgurt Zeichen erlischt. Danke._" (We are in Berlin. Please remain in your seats until the seat belt sign goes off. Thank you.)

The plane shuddered, and there was a thud as it made contact with the runway, and soon slowed to a halt. Sydney glanced up and saw the seat belt sign blink once before turning off.

People all around sighed in relief, and it seemed that many had had a nerve filled trip, spending their time worrying about the plane crashing or something like that. Josephine, however, wasn't stirred in the slightest.

"Well, that was certainly interesting!" the old woman exclaimed, and Sydney smiled as they both unbuckled their seat belts and stood, wriggling out of the small space and into the aisle, which was already full of people eager to get off the plane. Sydney reached to the shelf above and pulled down both of their bags, and handed Josephine's to her.

"Thank you dear," the old woman said with a smile, and they walked off the plane together.

They fetched their bags, and then Sydney turned to Josephine to say goodbye. The old woman smiled sadly and leaned up, pecking Sydney's cheek.

"When you find that girl, give her a kiss and a whack from me, alright?"

Sydney laughed. "I will. Good bye, Josephine."

"Good bye dear heart!" the woman said with a big smile. She gave her one last squeeze before turning and walking towards the eatery, probably to get a coffee or something.

Sydney turned and wheeled her suitcase out the entrance, calling for a taxi and preparing to meet the infamous Julian Sark once more.

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><p>When he got back to the warehouse, West ran inside and laid Isabelle on a table. Abigail, Sparrow and Alex weren't back yet, but Micah was still there in a small room with his computers.<p>

The moment he heard them enter, Micah got up and ran into the room, looking at Isabelle.

"Is she alright?" he asked worriedly as he walked over to her side.

"I don't know, but I hope so. I am not exactly a doctor."

"Me neither. She looks kinda cold, but other than that she seems to be okay," Micah commented, and West removed his jacket and wrapped it around her.

"Let's move her onto a bed," he said, and he lifted her body up and walked out of the main part and behind a screen they had made out of cardboard. Micah, Alex and his beds were behind there, and West set her down onto his, making sure he did so gently. Despite the fact that she was incredibly light, his arms were aching from carrying her for miles.

Micah put a hand on her head gently. "She isn't warm. She just seems to be tired and cold."

West was about to respond, but they were both shocked as Isabelle's eyelids fluttered a little before slowly opening, revealing bright green eyes. It took a moment for her to focus, but once she did, she wasn't happy.

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><p>She groaned and tried to move away, but she found she did not have the strength. Her hands gripped the bed sheets, twisting and turning them as her fearful eyes met those of her 'captors'.<p>

"It's okay," West tried to soothe, and he moved forward to touch her, but she screamed and her arm suddenly found strength from an unknown source, and she slapped him across the face. "Ouch!" West yelled, holding a hand to his stinging cheek. "What did you do that for?"

Isabelle didn't respond, but tried to sit up and get away.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you!" Micah exclaimed. "Look, Isabelle, you've been through a lot, and I think it's best if you rest!"

Isabelle turned and glared at him fearfully. "Who are you, and how do you know my name?" she cried.

"It's okay, Isabelle. You're safe here. My name is Micah and the guy you just assaulted is my friend West. He saved you from the people that had you!" he insisted, and she frowned.

"How...where am I? I don't understand!" she exclaimed.

West walked back over to her. "Just give us a chance to explain to you. Can you do that?"

Isabelle nodded slowly, but she was still tense and ready to hit anyone and anything that came too close.

"Okay, Isabelle, the people that took you are part of an organization called 'Pinehearst', and they are really bad people. We found out that they had you, and so we went in to get you," West explained. He was about to continue, but Isabelle interrupted.

"Why did they take me?"

"We don't know yet," Micah told her. "But we will find out. You're going to be fine, Isabelle. You're going home soon, and they won't hurt you, I promise."

"We promise," West corrected. "You with be alright, Iz. As for how we knew your name, when we found out the Pinehearst was holding a girl, we found out as much as possible about you while we were waiting to go and get you." Isabelle was about to interrupt, but West cut her unspoken interruption off. "We have resources. Micah here is a bit of a computer whiz, to say the least. Now, my other friends that helped get in and get you out of there will be here sometime in the next hour."

"Where is we?" she asked.

"We're in a warehouse in a location we will explain to you at another date," Micah told her, and though Isabelle wanted to ask more, she let it rest.

"Anyway, my name is West," West introduced himself officially.

"And mine is Micah," the boy added, though he had already introduced himself.

"Well, apparently you already know who I am," she commented dryly.

There was an awkward silence as Micah and West tried to think of what to say.

"I am sorry if we did something to upset you," West said at last. "We were only trying to help. We didn't mean to frighten you-"

"So if you woke up in a strange place you wouldn't be afraid, or even a little confused?" Isabelle interrupted angrily, her voice panicked.

Micah tried to butt in and make peace between the two, but he was stopped by West's reply. "Isabelle, I don't understand why you're upset! All we did was save you!"

"Well maybe you shouldn't have!" she cried back, angry and confused.

"If it weren't for us, you would still be stuck in that facility. So, I apologize for saving you," he finished angrily and he stormed out, and Isabelle heard the bang of the heavy door closing as West left the warehouse completely.

"I am sorry about him," Micah said. "He's a bit sensitive."

"No, I shouldn't have said that," Isabelle replied, looking down at her hands and she fiddled with her nails, that had been clipped, strangely enough. She frowned.

"What's wrong?" Micah asked.

"My nails. I like to keep them long, but they're short now," she explained.

"Maybe they wanted you to not...I don't know..." Micah shrugged, not knowing what to say.

Isabelle laughed a little, and Micah looked at her questioningly. Isabelle saw his face and smiled. "Sorry. It's just that I have been captured, put to sleep, rescued by people I don't know and gotten into an argument with the person who saved me, and all I can think about is my nails."

Micah smiled. "Sometimes when stuff happens, and it's stressful, the mind sort of tries to think about different things, like as an automatic response or something."

Isabelle gave him a small smile as she sat up and leaned against the wall. "You're a pretty smart kid," she told him, and he grinned and blushed.

"Yeah, I grew up hearing that from my parents."

Isabelle frowned. "I don't get it. You guys just live in here, by yourselves? Where are your families?"

Micah sighed and sat down on the end of the bed. "It's a long, complicated story..."

"Well, I don't think I'll be going anywhere anytime soon, but let me just double check my schedule," came the sarcastic reply.

Micah giggled a little. "Fine, I'll tell you. But you might not believe me."

Isabelle nodded for him to continue, and he did.

"The world is a lot...different to how you think it is. There are people out there..."

"Evil people? Yeah, I get that. I was just abducted from my own house."

Micah smiled. "The people that took you were not as bad as they can get. In fact, to be honest, you were a hell of a lot safer in there than you are here."

"Why?"

"Because it's pretty likely that you will be hunted for the rest of your life," Micah explained, and Isabelle's jaw dropped.

"Why? What are you talking about?"

"You have to understand this, Isabelle. The people we saved you from are not the people that will hunt you. They are bad guys that like to be involved with what is going on, and, more importantly, one step ahead of everyone else. But they don't matter anymore, because I am pretty sure they got what they wanted."

"What did they want?"

"I think...they wanted something from you, some kind of sample or something like that. I am not sure why though."

Isabelle groaned and rubbed her face, letting her head thump on the wall behind her. "This is all insane."

A soft, female voice came from the other side of the room. "Yeah, sometimes we forget that and let it be normal to us."

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><p>Sydney opened the door to the apartment she had rented, and dumped her bags in the lounge room before tugging out her coffee supply and walking to the kitchen, praying there was a machine in there. Thankfully, there was, as well as some of the basics. There was milk in the small fridge and sugar, salt, pepper and tea in the cupboard. But, other than that, people obviously just ordered room service.<p>

However, all she needed was a shot of caffeine and that was it. She hadn't been hungry since the first moment when she realized her daughter was missing, and had been living off caffeine to keep her upright and functioning. It was not a good plan, and she was aware of that, but it was the only way to keep going.

So far, her only plan was to sit in the apartment and wait until the time came to leave for the warehouse Sark had told her he would be in. She was anxious, and would really rather not meet with the business man turned criminal, but it was the only way to get her little girl back, and she would never forgive herself if she didn't take it.

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><p>Isabelle turned to see the newcomer. She was a girl, about the same age as Isabelle was. She had caramel colored skin, dark brown hair and eyes that were so brown they were almost black. She looked tired, and her shoulders slumped a little.<p>

Isabelle was about to say something, but the girl spoke first. "Hey, you must be Isabelle. Nice to meet you. I'm Sparrow, by the way." She smiled and walked over to where Isabelle sat.

"Hi," Isabelle replied lamely, not knowing what to say.

"So, how are you feeling?" Sparrow asked.

"Tired, but I guess I am alive and free."

Sparrow gave a small smile. "Well, at least you're not one of those girls that freaks out the moment they wake up."

Isabelle raised her eyebrows. "You rescue girls from people like that on a regular basis?"

Sparrow gave a small smile. "No, we don't. It was just a thought. Forget it."

"Sure," Isabelle responded as she eyed the girl. Sparrow seemed nice, but Isabelle was still unsure of her surroundings and situation.

"So, um, I'm just gonna go and see how West is doing," Micah said, and Isabelle looked at him, surprised. He was the youngest that she had seen, no older than 12, but he was taking responsibility for someone older than him. He was definitely no ordinary child, but then again no one she had met since her awakening could be described as normal.

Sparrow waited until Micah was out of earshot before leaning forwards to Isabelle and looking her in the eye. "Do you know why you're here?" she questioned curiously.

Isabelle shook her head slowly. "All I know is that I was taken by someone, and that apparently you all saved me."

Sparrow took a deep breath and plonked herself onto the bed, drawing her knees up to her chest and crossing her arms over them, resting her chin on her knees. "Well, I guess you should probably know that we aren't exactly normal."

Isabelle snorted. "You live in a warehouse, all alone, and go and save random people, and you tell me you're not normal? Get outta town!" she finished sarcastically, and Sparrow smiled.

"Okay, so not the best word choice, but we are more different to what you think."

"How so?" Isabelle humored her.

"Well, we can do things that most people can't do."

"Like what? Rescue damsels in distress? I am pretty sure most people could do that, they're just too lazy."

Sparrow rolled her eyes. "More than that. What we can do makes the whole rescuing thing easier. You see, we have...gifts. Special gifts."

Isabelle frowned. "What do you mean? You're getting really serious all of a sudden..."

Sparrow sighed. "I guess I should show you what I mean."

"That would probably help clear things up a little."

Sparrow stood from the bed, and called out. "Abigail!"

"Yep!" came the reply.

"Can you come here please?"

"Sure, just a sec!"

A few moments later, a blonde came stumbling into the room. She had obviously freshened up a little, and her wet hair was pulled into a bun. She looked at Isabelle curiously with hazel eyes, and Isabelle stared right back. She was wearing denim jeans and a plain red T-shirt, and her feet were bare, showing bruised toe nails and blistered heels and pinky toes.

She tucked a few loose strands of hair behind her ears and walked across the room, her face screwing up with each step. She plopped down onto the chair and leaned down, resting her elbows onto her knees as she looked at Isabelle. She smiled after a moment, and offered a nod.

"Hey, I'm Abigail," she offered. "Nice to see you awake."

"Hi, I'm"

"Isabelle, I know. Nice to meet you," she remarked, leaning back in her chair and crossing her legs.

"You too..." Isabelle trailed off as an awkward atmosphere descended upon them.

Sparrow eventually interrupted the silence when she remembered why she had called her friend into the room in the first place. "Oh, Abby!"

The blonde turned an eye on her. "Yeah?" she asked, bored.

"I called you in her because, well, I was explaining things to Isabelle, and I thought she would understand things much better if we gave her a demonstration," she explained, and Abby frowned immediately.

"Are you sure that's a good idea? I mean, we don't even know her! How do we know she's trustworthy? No offence," she remarked to Isabelle, and Isabelle gave a quick nod of affirmation, though she was as confused as ever.

"I think she deserves the truth, Abs," Sparrow replied, and the blonde sighed.

"Fine, but you know West's gonna flip when he finds out."

"Yeah, I know."

Groaning, Abby stood and walked beside Sparrow.

Sparrow turned to Isabelle. "Okay, this might be a little weird, scary even, but don't freak out."

Isabelle raised her eyebrows yet remained silent.

Sparrow stepped back from Abigail slightly, her eyes measuring the distance. She then extended her arms before her, and Isabelle looked at her curiously. Suddenly, something seemed to happen to the ground just in front of Sparrow's feet. It began to crumble a little, and then it rose. Into the air.

Sparrow then lifted her fingers slightly, and the rocks rose, all together, and suddenly flew at Abigail.

Isabelle gasped, shocked and expecting something horrible to happen, but Abigail merely extended her own hands before her and a purplish glow emanated from them, stopping the rocks short.

The rocks soon dropped and clattered onto the floor and the purple field flickered a few times before going out, and the two girls lowered their arms, turning to look at the girl who was seated on the bed.

Isabelle just sat there, her mouth hanging open.

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><p><strong>There is the next chapter! I hope you all enjoyed! PLEASE leave a review, I beg of you! Love you all! :)<strong>


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